The invention relates to a polymer composition, to a corresponding master batch, to the preparation of this polymer composition or of this master batch, to the further processing of this polymer composition or of this master batch into containers, such as storage or transportation containers as well as disposal containers, and also to the use of phenols for the protection of the container contents in materials containing plastic, particularly in disposal containers made thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,075,940 relates to a sterically hindered phenol, especially in the form of a halogenated dihydroxydiphenyl methane (see middle of column 3), which serves to stabilize soft PVC (claim 1).
According to its set of claims, GB-A 1,511,495 relates to the use of 0.1% to 3% by weight of a special halogenated dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide as a stabilizer for polymers selected from polypropylene or other polyolefins, PVC or ABS. The stabilizer cited in that document is explicitly excluded from our application for protection, particularly since this British patent only provides for the use of the stabilizer as an antioxidant or as an agent to de-activate metal in the plastic mixture.
DE-A 196 51 445 relates to the use of bisphenols, as monomers for the preparation of polycarbonate polycyclene, as can be seen in formula VII on page 4, lines 38 through 66. This document does not provide specific information as to whether and bow much of these monomers are still to be found in the polymers in the end.
According to its main claim, EP-B 112,542 relates to polyamide molding compounds containing, relative to the polyamide, 0.5% to 15% by weight of at least one monophenol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,025 relates to a cross-linkable composition containing polyethylene that can be further processed, for example, into containers, and that, in addition to polyolefins, also contains a cross-linking agent in the form of an organic peroxide initiator, at least 0.2% by weight of a polyalkylene benzene polycarbonate as well as, relative to 100 parts of the ethylene polymer, 0.2 to 2 parts by weight of a suitable cross-linking co-reagent, whereby this compound is selected from among sterically hindered phenol antioxidants whereby, however, exclusively non-halogenated antioxidants are cited in column 4, lines 52 through 64.
According to its main claim, U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,540 relates to a process to stabilize recycled mixtures of thermoplastic polymers, whereby this mixture contains 55% to 75% by weight of polyolefins, 5% to 25% by weight of polystyrene, 5% to 15% by weight of PVC and up to 10% by weight of other plastic polymers, whereby this mixture is put into contact with a combination of at least one sterically hindered phenol and at least one phosphite or phosphonite. The exclusively sterically hindered phenols cited in the patent have a characteristic halogen-free tert-butyl phenol group, as can be seen in column 3, top.
Ullmanns Enzyklopxc3xa4die der technischen Chemie [Ullmann""s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry], 3rd edition, Volume 5, page 757, describes the use of polyvalent phenols of the type defined in claim 1, but without indicating that they are a component of a polymer composition.
Ullmann""s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 5th edition, Volume A3, also describes the class of hindered phenols in the passage about antioxidants; Table 3, however, does not show any representatives of a halogenated dihydroxydiphenyl methane, dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide or dihydroxydiphenyl ether.
It is common practice to use phenols as disinfectants, that is to say, in order to destroy pathogens as well as to protect plants, materials and food products against microbial attack. This is normally done in that the disinfectant withdraws water from the material to be protected, de-natures protein and brings about other protein changes, while other disinfectants block metabolic processes in the interior of the cells. The class of halogenated dihydroxydiphenyl methanes, dihydroxydiphenyl sulfides and dihydroxydiphenyl that are of particular interest here are employed especially as an additive for deodorizing and anti-bacterial soaps, body lotions and cleansers. In most cases, such substrates have melting points well above 100xc2x0 C. [212xc2x0 F.]. Particularly under the designation Irgasan(copyright) DP 300, Ciba-Geigy of Basel, Switzerland offers an anti-microbial agent for use in cosmetic preparations, and this agent is 2,4,4xe2x80x2-trichloro-2xe2x80x2-hydroxydiphenyl ether or 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-phenol or triclosan (INN). In addition lo its classical use in cosmetics, this product is also employed in conjunction with medications and medical products, particularly in the dental sector. Another widespread form of use consists in providing textile fibers and plastics with an anti-microbial finish, and this product also serves as an additive to prevent microbial contamination of water, aqueous solutions or air in technical installations such as, for instance, air-conditioning systems.
Moreover, it is known from Ullmanns Enzyklopaxc3xa4die der technischen Chemie [UlImann""s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry], 5th edition, Volume 21, 1985. page 46 ff., that plastics themselves are not attacked by microorganisms. However, it would be advantageous to avoid contamination and the spread of microorganisms in re-useable containers that are meant to store food products or organic waste.
The present invention has the objective of providing a polymer composition that has a disinfecting effect, so that it can be further processed, particularly into containers where a disinfecting effect plays a role, for example, in the production of storage and transportation containers as well as disposal containers.
An additional objective of the present invention is the preparation of a polymer master batch that contains the above-mentioned additive and that can thus be further processed into the above-mentioned containers.
Another objective of the present invention is a preparation process for the above-mentioned polymer composition or for the above-mentioned polymer master batch.
Another objective of the present invention is the further processing of the above-mentioned polymer composition as well as of the above-mentioned polymer master batch into containers containing plastic, especially into storage and transportation containers and disposal containers of this kind.
Finally, another objective of the present invention is the use of phenols for the protection of the container contents as described above for materials containing plastic, particularly storage and transportation containers as well as disposal containers made thereof.
It was surprisingly found that, by using a specific quantity of a phenol that up until now has only been utilized in the cosmetic sector as well as in the classical disinfectant sector, it is possible to achieve a material-protecting, that is to say, disinfecting effect in conjunction with the above-mentioned special polymer compositions or with the polymer master batch.
Thus, the present invention relates to a polymer composition in which the polymer is selected from among polyolefins, styrene polymers and polymers containing halogen, except for soft PVC, linear polyesters, linear polycarbamates, high-temperature-resistant plastics as well as recycled material stemming from these types of plastic, characterized in that, relative to the total composition, they contain 0.01% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.05% to 2% by weight, of at least one phenol in the form of halogenated dihydroxydiphenyl methane, dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide and/or dihydroxydiphenyl ether, except for the dihydroxydiphenyl sulfides, 2,2xe2x80x2-thiobis(6-halogeno-4-C1-8-alkyl phenol) and 2,2xe2x80x2-thiobis(6-halogeno-4-C2-8-alkenyl phenol).
A preferred group of the phenols employed are the halogenated dihydroxydiphenyl methanes, dihydroxydiphenyl sulfides or dihydroxydiphenyl ethers which are selected, for instance, from among 5,5xe2x80x2-dichloro-2,2xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenyl methane (Preventol DD, Bayer AG), 3,5,3xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2-tetrachloro-4,4xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenyl methane (Monsanto Corporation), 3,5,6,3xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-hexachloro-2,2xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenyl methane (hexachlorophene), 5,5xe2x80x2-dichloro-2,2xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide (Novex, Boehringer Mannheim), 2,4,5,2xe2x80x2,4xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2-hexachloro-dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide, 3,5,3xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2-tetrachloro-2,2xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide (Actamer, Monsanto), 4,4xe2x80x2-dihydroxy-2,2xe2x80x2-dimethyl-diphenyl methane, 2xe2x80x2,2-dihydroxy-5xe2x80x2,5-diphenyl ether (Unilever), 2,4,4xe2x80x2-trichloro-2xe2x80x2-hydroxydiphenyl ether (Irgasan DP 300, Ciba-Geigy).
Among the above-mentioned phenol groups, the group consisting of halogenated dihydroxydiphenyl methane, dihydroxydiphenyl sulfide and dihydroxydiphenyl ether has proven to be especially preferred and, in this context, particularly the above-mentioned 2,4,4xe2x80x2-trichloro-2xe2x80x2-hydroxydiphenyl ether which, in view of its high LD50 value, is practically non-toxic and does not accumulate in the body. Due to its high degradation point of more than 280xc2x0 C. [536xc2x0 F.], there is practically no degradation or any significant transition to the gas phase when the substrate is incorporated into the master batch or into the polymer composition.
The above-mentioned phenol additive is meant to be added to a polymer composition. With this polymer composition, the polymer is selected from among polyolefins, styrene polymers, polymers containing halogen, linear polyesters, linear polycarbamates, high-temperature-resistant plastics as well as recycled material stemming from these types of plastic.
As defined in the present invention, the term polyolefins refers to polyethylene and the subtypes of polyethylene, namely, LDPE with typical densities ranging from 0.918 to 0.950 g/dm3, HDPE with a typical density between 0.95 and 0.96 g/dm3, special copolymers of ethylene, such as LLDPE, EVA, EBA, EEA, EAS, EVK as well as ETFE, mixtures of polyethylene with other polymers, a chemical modification of polyethylene in the form of PEC, CSM and VPE. Other important representatives of polyolefins are polypropylene, the copolymers and polyblends of polypropylene, such as EPB, EPDM, EPM as well as EPTR. Other kinds of polyolefins are polybutene, polymethyl pentene as well as polyisobutylene.
Examples of styrene polymers to be employed as polymers are polystyrene itself as well as the copolymers of styrene and polyblends such as, for instance, the statistical polymers SAN, ASVK, SAS, BS, graft copolymers and polyblends as impact-resistant amorphous thermoplastics, such as SB, ABS, MOBS, MABS, ASA, ACS, AES as well as ES, 3-block-copolymers as thermoplastic elastomers, such as SBS, SIS and SEPS.
Examples of polymers containing halogen that can be used in the above-mentioned polymer compositions are PVC itself, in other words, so-called rigid PVC, polyblends with PVC as impact-resistant PVC types such as, for instance, ACVC/PVC, EVA/PVC, MBS/PVC, PEC/PVC and ABS/PVC. Moreover, statistical copolymers such as, for example, VCVAC, VCS, VCAN and VCDVC can also be used. Examples of additional polymers containing halogen are polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinyl fluoride.
The additional linear polyesters used in the polymer compositions according to the invention are polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, block copolymers as thermoplastic elastomers as well as polycarbonates.
Another plastic group incorporated according to the invention into the polymer composition is made up of linear polycarbamates, also including the polyurethanes produced by means of addition polymerization to diisocyanates or polyisocyanates as a stage reaction of dihydroxy or polyhydroxy compounds.
Finally, mention should also be made of the high-temperature-resistant plastics for use according to the invention in the polymer compositions such as, for instance, polyphenylene, poly-p-xylylene, polyphenylene oxide polystyrene, polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyphenylene sulfone, polymethacrylimide, polyimide, polyesterimide and polyetherimide. Instead of the above-mentioned plastic classes, it is also possible to utilize the corresponding plastics that have been recovered in a recycling process and separated according to their material class.
It is particularly preferred to employ a polyethylene, especially an HD-PE, within the scope of the above-mentioned polymer composition. Particular preference is given to setting the proportion of phenol in this polymer composition at 0.1% to 2% by weight, especially at 0.2% to 0.5% by weight.
In this context, it is a matter of course that the above-mentioned polymer composition, aside from the pure plastic, also contains the auxiliaries and additives commonly present in plastics, for instance, fillers and/or colorants in the form of organic and inorganic pigments. These auxiliaries and additives are present in the composition in amounts ranging from 0.5% to 5% by weight, preferably 1% to 2% by weight, relative to the total composition. Naturally, the above-mentioned auxiliaries and additives also include the familiar substances, such as light-stability agents like, for example, UV-absorbers or anti-static agents and heat stabilizers. Examples of fillers in the storage and transportation sectors are chalk, talcum, fiberglass.
Examples of pigments are furan carbon black, chromium oxide green, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide and phthalocyanines.
Hals is an example of a light-stability additive.
Examples of heat stabilizers are compounds on the basis of (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionic acid esters, for instance, pentaerythritol or octadecanol, which are sold by Ciba-Geigy under the brand name Irganox(copyright).
Another feature of the present invention is a polymer master batch that is characterized in that, relative to the total composition of this master batch, it contains 0.1% to 20% by weight, preferably 1% to 5% by weight, of at least one phenol. The above-mentioned master batch is preferably produced in the form of granules, whereby, as elucidated above, the qualitative formulation of the phenol and of the polymer can be like the above-mentioned polymer composition. The other additives cited above are present in the master batch in amounts ranging from 1% to 50% by weight, preferably from 1% to 5% by weight, relative to the total composition.
According to another preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned master batches are produced in such a manner that basic polymer granules are heated to their melting temperature together with the additives and subsequently granulated. This is done, for instance, by thoroughly mixing the components together in a Rhxc3x6n wheel mixer, after which they are melted and granulated in a commercially available granulator. In order to produce the finished parts, an appropriate quantity of master batch is added to the basic polymer by means of special metering devices (gravimetrically or volumetrically).
Another feature of the present invention is the further processing of the above-mentioned polymer composition in a familiar manner by means of injection molding, rotomolding, injection blow molding or other conventional extrusion processes as well as blow molding.
When one of the above-mentioned basic polymers is employed as the starting material, then the further processing into the containers used according to the invention, particularly the storage and transportation containers as well as the disposal containers, is carried out by means of the addition of the appropriate polymer-master batch granules containing phenol, whereby these granules can be further processed by the above-mentioned methods, especially by injection molding or injection blow molding, to form the containers, particularly the storage and transportation containers as well as the disposal containers.
Another feature of the present invention is the use of phenols for the protection of the container contents for materials containing plastic, especially the containers made thereof. Moreover, it is also possible to employ this phenol as a biocide.
As defined in the present invention the term containers refers in particular to storage and transportation containers of the type described, for example, in German standard DIN 30820, Parts 1, 2, 4 to 9 and to disposal containers as described in DIN EN 840 1-6.
Moreover, this term also refers to disposal containers of the type employed in households in the form of the typical 10-liter container and, in the disposal sector, to the typical 120 liter size used in garbage cans. Within the scope of the use according to the invention, this term also refers to a pre-sorting or interim-storage container used for organic waste, of the type made, for instance, of recycled material. Such containers typically have volumes in the order of magnitude from 10 to 1000 liters, preferably from 100 to 250 liters.
Within the framework of the above-mentioned use, it is preferred for the phenols to be present in an amount ranging from 0.01% to 10% by weight, preferably from 0.05% to 2% by weight, relative to the total composition in each case, either already in the material containing plastic or in a corresponding quantity in the polymer-master batch granules.
The phenols are applied as a co-extruded layer onto at least part of the surfaces containing plastic, particularly on the inner surface.
The present invention will be elaborated upon below with reference to embodiments.
Disks measuring 6 mm and having a thickness of 3 mm are employed as the test specimens in the microbiological experiments, while plates measuring 20 mmxc3x9720 mm and having the same thickness are used in the migration tests, each time with and without Irgasan DP 300.
For purposes of determining the concentration by means of the inhibiting zone tests, Klebsiella pneumoni (ATCC 4352) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) were bred on casein soy-meal broth (CM, oxoid), then plated out onto casein-peptone soy-meal agar (CM 131, oxoid) and incubated at 37xc2x0 C. [98.6xc2x0 F.]. Up to 50 xcexcl of Irgasan DP 300 were applied onto 6-mm filter disks.
A Hitachi U-1100 spectral photometer in conjunction with reduced acrylic cuvettes (product no. 67.740, Sarstedt) with a 500-xcexcl sample volume was employed for the ultraviolet spectroscopic determination of the concentration at a wavelength of 285 nm.
The calculation formula of the service life described below turns out to be the following:             V      s        =                  Tc                  M          xc3x97          Ei          xc3x97          T                    ⁡              [        %        ]              ,
wherein
Vs=sump volume [%] as a percentage of the total volume
Tc=total content [mg]
M=migration [ppm/l]
Ei=emptying interval [1/years]
T=service life [years]
For a loss of 2 ppm of Irgasan DP 300 per liter of sump volume, this results in the following:       y    =                  42.3        x            ⁡              [        %        ]              ,
and correspondingly for a loss of 10 ppm of Irgasan DP 300:   y  =                    211.5        x            ⁡              [        %        ]              .  
with x=service life in years and y=volume (%, as a percentage of the total volume)
A sensitive microbiological test is to be employed in order to quantitatively detect microbial contamination in test specimens made of HDPE as well as the migration of the Irgasan DP 300 out of the plastic, in order to be able to estimate the release of active ingredient over the service life. An attempt was also made to follow the migration of Irgasan DP 300 and of the stabilizers by means of ultraviolet spectroscopy.
For this purpose, first of all, a test was drawn up that makes it possible to quantitatively detect the anti-microbial effect of test specimens containing 0.2% Irgasan DP 300 and Irgasan DP 300 as a pure substance. In order to examine the migration of the additive and the sensitivity of various test germs, an inhibiting zone test was conducted: test specimens were incubated on agar plates that had been inoculated with these germs. As indicators, two microorganisms were employed whose minimum inhibiting concentration (MIC) with respect to Irgasan DP 300 was between 0.01 ppm and 0.3 ppm, according to information provided by the manufacturer. The kinetics of the release of active ingredient into an aqueous solution were examined by incubating test specimens in a defined volume and by subsequently evaluating them with a spectroscope as well as in the inhibiting zone test. Both methods were calibrated by means of parallel batches with the pure substance.